ok, so after the disgrace that was chapter 3, I though a compensation was due... so here's chapter 4 which (I think) is significantly better. Oh and as I think I didn't do a very good job of describing Aysha's tattoo, sojust imagine that symbol printed on Karel's palm, the one drawn in blood in all the monstrum crimes scenes.
ok, on with the chapter!
"Passengers of the flight to the UK please board immediately on Gate 6. Thank you" The monochord, almost a robotized voice, echoes through the walls of the airport. Along with the many souvenir shops' lights, it creates an ethereal, almost surreal environment as the passengers of the announced flight drowsily rise from their seats and drag themselves towards Gate 6.
Kurtis sighs in relief and lifts his tired form from the bench he's been sitting on for the last two hours. With a long yawn, he works out the cramps that have formed all over his back and rubs his eyes in a sleepy trance.
He picks up his bag and follows the flow of passengers, heading towards the gate that will lead them to their plane.
His ears pick up a distant sound, one that belongs to the surreal universe behind him "Last call for passengers of the flight to the UK"
When he enters the plane, his eyes stop on the number painted in black bold letters just above one of the wings.
His lips curve into a sarcastic smirk as he sets himself down on a seat.
Gate 6, flight 66.
What are the odds?
A cursed journey, if you ask me.
But he's never been one for superstition, so he promptly shrugs off the thought.
He leans back against the chair and prepares to spend the next two hours sleeping soundly. Against his wishes, however, sleep won't come. Not that he isn't tired… he just can't fall asleep.
Something his father used to say crosses his mind "Some people can't sleep because they worry too much. Others can't sleep because they know they should be worrying more".
Kurtis frowns at the thought. Why is he thinking about his father right now? Nevertheless… he knows the old man was right.
For a change.
He takes a moment to ponder over this. Is he taking things too lightly? Is he not being serious enough? There is, after all, a likely Nephilim on the loose… Should he be more concerned?
What's the point in worrying? It doesn't solve anything…
He knows he's right. He is taking action, that's what has to be done. Should he be worried about something else, though?
Of course. No point in pretending he isn't concerned… or at least apprehensive.
Lara.
He's going to show up at her place tonight, after all, raised from the dead. A nasty shock for anybody.
How is he going to explain to her that he's been alive all this time, knowing where to find her, and hasn't even tried to contact her? Not once?
He frowns.
It's not like she tried that hard to find me either.
Deep inside, he knows he's being unfair. The woman has, after all, been answering to a process for murder, only being considered innocent recently. He needs, however, an excuse to justify his silence and that is the best he can come up with. It'll have to do.
The plane lands smoothly on Heathrow airport, the passengers being greeted with heavy rain and a freezing temperature.
"Welcome to England!" the flight hostess says, a forced smile pulling at her lips.
Kurtis smiles his own sarcastic smirk, shrugs and heads out to the open space that leads to the place where he's supposed to pick up his luggage, receiving many shocked glares from the older passengers who are busily opening their umbrellas under the never ending rain.
"So, you American?"
"Uh-huh" Kurtis replies for what seems like the seventieth time, trying in vain to ignore the annoying taxi driver's pointless attempts to make small talk.
He's been stuck in the middle of traffic in a cab for the last forty minutes with the most annoying driver in the world and an extremely mellow depressive song playing on the radio. His patience is wearing thin.
Note to self: next time, go by boat so I can bring the bike.
"You here alone?" The little greasy haired man asks.
"Uh-huh"
"Going to stay long?"
"Uh-huh"
"Business or pleasure?"
"Uh-huh" The driver glances at him over the seat and Kurtis realises he must have said something stupid. Who cares.
"'Uh-huh' what?" the mousy man insists. Kurtis has to gather all of his self control to keep himself from punching the irritating creature. Instead, he places his hand on the back of the seat and says in a very controlled voice:
"Listen, mate, I'll make ya a deal, ok? I promise that I'll give you a hefty tip" a smile builds up in the man's skinny features "if you shut the hell up for the rest of the trip. 'kay?" The driver's expression breaks.
"Oh… right… yeah… ok…" he replies.
Kurtis sits back, sighing in relief.
"Thank you"
Twenty minutes later, they've made it through Surrey and are driving through a country road surrounded by grass fields. The taxi driver hasn't said another word, which Kurtis is grateful for.
As they drive on, a massive brick construction begins to tower on the horizon. First just a little red dot in the distance, then a gigantic building surrounded by high walls.
Kurtis' eyes widen in surprise.
Oh. My .Fucking. God.
He had known the woman was rich, but had never expected this.
The driver finally pulls up to the massive iron gates and Kurtis promptly shoves him the money displayed on the taximeter, grabs his bag and jumps out of the vehicle.
"Hey! What about my tip!" the man bellows.
"You just lost it" Kurtis retorts, not even bothering to look back. He grins as the man yells something concerning his manhood before driving off.
He takes a deep breath, taking in the building before him.
"Now, Lady Croft… I sure hope you believe in resurrection"
Winston leaves the kitchen, carrying a silver tray of tea and almost trips on The Cat on his way to indoors gym. It hisses in protest.
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry, darling" the old Butler apologizes, almost dropping the tray "I wasn't looking at where I was going"
The Cat, apparently forgiving him, immediately goes to rub on his legs.
"Now now, darling" he scolds in a condescending way "I can't play with you right now, I have to take this tea to Lara" The Cat's fur stands up at the name and Winston rolls his eyes.
No point in insisting, those two are a lost battle.
He continues towards the gym, crossing the archway to find his mistress energetically kicking a punch bag.
"I brought you tea and cookies, dear" he states loudly, attempting to be heard above all the kicking and grunting.
"Not hungry Winston, thanks" she answers, not even looking at him. Winston sets the tray down on the floor (more than accustomed to his mistress' practical ways by now) and gives her a concerned look.
"Lara, you have to eat something! You've barely touched your lunch, not to mention your breakfast, it went all to The Cat" an appreciative purr follows his statement "You haven't eaten all day! Please, Lara, you can't go on starving yourself like this…"
"I'm not – starving - myself" Lara replies in the middle of punches "I'm just – not – hungry"
"How can you possibly not be hungry after a whole day without food? You'll end up fainti…"
"Winston, please, end of discussion" she pleads, a note of authority in her voice however "This is pointless"
The old butler sighs and shakes his head. She's right, though. This is pointless.
No one as stubborn as Lady Croft when she gets something inside her head.
Giving in, he turns away, half-heartedly giving her one last advice:
"At least turn in already, dear, you're overexerting yourself for someone who hasn't eaten"
Lara watches him disappear across the archway, her punching frenzy finally subsiding.
Maybe he's right.
For once, she decides to follow his advice and grabs a towel from the floor, right next to the tray of tea. She smiles.
Nice try, Winston.
Wiping the perspiration from her face with the towel, she shoves it over her shoulders. She notices The Cat looking greedily at the cookies.
"Help yourself" she says, using her foot to push the tray towards the hungry animal.
She leaves the gym, crosses the hall and starts to climb up the staircase, readying herself for a long steamy bath.
An hour later, Lara leaves the bathroom wrapped in only a peach coloured towel, her wet hair draped over her shoulders. She feels much more relaxed now, all the tension having been unleashed with the help of both the punch bag and the bath. She lazily changes into her pajamas, already awaiting her folded on top of a chair.
Sighing contentedly, she falls back onto her bed and just lies there, listening to the crackling of the fire that Winston had the good sense of lighting. She suddenly lacks the energy to stand up or do anything else. It's like the world has stopped right there and then, she just wants to stay there and be rocked to sleep by the flames of the fireplace. No other sounds to be heard. Sweet silent world.
The silence is, however, short-lived.
Only a couple of seconds passed, a dry snapping noise jolts her awake from her trance. She slowly, sits up, ears sharp for any further sounds.
There. Again.
'Snap'
Winston?
No, of course not. The noise is coming from outside. She silently takes one Uzi from underneath her pillow and moves towards the balcony window.
Sliding it open.
She peers at the backyard outside, her eyes searching for something, she isn't sure what. Movement, a shadow, something out place… Then she sees it. A broken branch hanging from a tree directly in front of the library window.
There's the 'snap'.
The window is, of course, hanging open.
Someone's inside.
Her eyes turn to slits and she hurries out of the bedroom. Crossing the hallway with swift steps, stopping right in front of the library door. Gripping the gun tightly, controlled breathing.
Heart beating madly, she pushes the door open just far enough to get a glance of the room inside through a crack.
Seems empty.
Which, of course, means absolutely nothing.
Taking a deep breath, she pushes the door open all the way and enters the room, gun held high in front of her.
Empty.
The fireplace is also lit, casting the bookshelves and the other furniture in an orange glow, wavering due to the breeze seeping in through the open window.
She peruses the room, still unconvinced but finds nothing out of the ordinary. Frustrated, she drops the gun and makes to close the window.
Maybe Winston left it open… Maybe The Cat broke the branch…
She stops dead in her tracks, however, when she feels cold metal pressed against the back of her neck.
A mocking voice sounds, close to her ear:
"Is it just me, or this is getting a bit old?"
Lara freezes, all thoughts of where the hell he had come from being dropped as she recognizes the voice.
"K-Kurtis!"
Oh God, she's stammering.
"Hello Lara" he replies, amusement clear in his voice. Completely forgetting about the gun trained on her head, she turns around to face him. He doesn't stop her, but his grip on the gun doesn't waver. They just look at each other for a few seconds. Then Lara states, blankly:
"You're dead"
Kurtis blinks a couple of times.
"Last time I checked, I was quite alive…" he pinches his arm, as if to make sure "Ow. Yep, very much alive" Lara stares at him for another moment. She's not sure if she should hug him or punch him, so she settles for a middle term.
"WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN ALL THIS TIME?" she yells suddenly, surprising even herself. Kurtis almost drops the gun, surprised the sudden outburst but she doesn't stop "ALL ALONG, ALL THIS TIME YOU'VE BEEN ALIVE AND KICKING! FOUR MONTHS, FOUR! NO PHONECALL, NO LETTER, NOT A BLOODY MESSAGE! NO SATISFACTIONS OF ANY KIND TO SOMEONE WHO'S BEEN READING ALL THE NEWSPAPER'S HEADLINE'S TO SEE IF THEY HAD FOUND YOUR CORPSE!" she stops to catch her breath, looking at a dumfounded Kurtis "I'm sorry" she finally says. She's sounding a little hoarse right now. It doesn't surprise neither of them "It's not like you owe me any satisfactions about your life or anything" she adds coldly.
Kurtis gulps loudly and finally decides to cut in. The gun has been hanging loosely from his hand at his side for a while now.
"Listen, Lara… I…" he seems at a loss of words "…I was recovering"
Lara glares at him with disbelief.
That is probably the most lame-assed excuse I've ever heard.
He seems to agree, as he stammers:
"I… I had some things to…" in a blink of an eye, he has composed himself, unreadable mask back in place "… to tend to" she is about to retort but he doesn't give her the chance "And it's not like you tried that hard to find me anyway. I was in the hospital for at least a month"
She can't believe what she's hearing.
The nerve of that…
"Kurtis, darling" she starts in a venomous voice "I spent a week in the hospital. The moment I left, I was dragged into a police car and taken to the station for questioning. I've spent the last three months in courtrooms, attending judgements to prove my innocence in the Monstrum case. The moment I came home, I started to call every single hospital in Prague to know if they had tended to a 'Kurtis Trent'…"
"Ever crossed your mind that I might have given a false name?"
"AND WHAT THE HELL WAS I SUPPOSED TO DO?" she screams again. Her eyes are gleaming with anger. Kurtis only stares at her. She can see the conflicting emotions in his azure orbs, but knows he won't back down if only for the sake of winning the argument. Why doesn't he just tell her that he wanted time alone!
Just as she thinks he's about to answer, his eyes widen in surprise at something behind her. Following his gaze towards the window, she only has time to catch a glimpse of ebony hair with a flare of red vanishing from sight.
"Oh shit!" she hears him mutter. In the next second, he's passed her and jumping through the window to grab hold of the branches of the nearby tree.
'Snap'
'Thump'
Lara rushes to the windowsill, peering at the darkness below with concern.
"Are you alright?" she shouts.
You'd think that after the first time he'd understand that those branches can't hold his weight…
A loud "Aaw fuck!" resounds in the quietness of the night, somewhere below her. She grins.
He's alright.
Cursing all the while, Kurtis stands up, rubbing his aching back. He turns just in time to see Lara's graceful landing beside him.
No 'snaps'.
He snorts, pretending not to see Lara's smug grin in the dark, and walks away, drawing his gun. Lara rushes to catch up.
"What did you see?" she asks him when she finally manages to. He says nothing. Stealthily pacing through the garden, scanning his surroundings feverishly. All of a sudden, he stops. Lara also picks a movement, up ahead, behind a bush.
"Keep your gun at the ready" is all he tells her. The next moment, he's gone from her side. Lara blinks a couple of times, confused, but does as he tells her.
She can hear nothing but the night's breeze, even the sound of his footsteps is gone.
Silent world again.
Not so sweet this time, though.
Suddenly, without warning of any kind, a slim shadow jumps out of the bush, a larger one after it that Lara immediately identifies as Kurtis.
Without even thinking, her gun is aimed at the first figure. Kurtis does the same, behind it. A deep sound erupts from the figures throat.
Was that… a growl?
"Gotcha, you little bitch!" Kurtis states triumphantly. The 'little bitch' growls louder.
"If you get one step closer, I'll rip your guts out! Gun or not, I swear I will!" Aysha spits.
Will you look at that. It talks.
Kurtis sniggers.
"Yeah, I gather you Cabal people seem to have some fetish for that…" he retorts, voice tinged with sarcasm.
Slowly, Aysha's fighting stance disappears, and Lara can hear the confusion in her voice.
" 'You Cabal people'?" she asks "I thought you were Cabal!"
"Me? Cabal? You're the one with the Nephilim symbol on your neck!"
Completely ignoring his last statement, Aysha insists:
"If you're not Cabal, then who are you?"
"I'm Kurtis Trent, the last living member of the Lux Veritatis" he replies impatiently.
"You're… Lux? Honest?"
"Hey, hello!" Lara interrupts "I'm here, anyone mind filling me in? What's going on?"
"I don't know" Kurtis answers "But I sure as hell would like to find out. Who are you, kid?"
I think Aysha has some explaining to do, don't you? the next chapter will probably take a while.
I'll apreciate it if you take time to review!